Reading Activities

Reading and Writing Examples

Who am I? (Kerpoof.com)
Students:

• Select a topic (generated by teacher or on own. Could use a Google Form to list choices.
• Research item online and write down all facts they can gather.
• They keep their topic a secret.
• Draw an original picture of topic/item at Kerpoof.com. Don’t let others see their drawing.
• Write a descriptive paragraph about their topic incorporating facts they have researched. Could put their story on the SMART Board for all to see.
• Post the pictures around the room.
• Each reads their paragraph aloud (Others can read along silently from the SMART Board as it is read aloud.)
• Class guesses which picture matches the story.

Map It! (Mapquest.com)

• Go to Mapquest.com
• Enter a beginning and ending address, and find the directions. This could be from school to home, or between places being studied in Pennsylvania, for example.
• Hide directions and print the map.
• Exchange the map with another student.
• Students use the map to write directions. (May need directions from teacher regarding how many steps to write, etc.) Could use a word processor, or write online at Google Docs.

The Road to the Academy Awards (Google Docs and a wiki)
Students (this could be a small group project):

• Read a book and write a summary. Could use a word processor, or write online at Google Docs.
• "Cast" their characters by selecting students for roles in their movie.
• Take digital pictures of students in the roles.
• Give students (or group) a page in a class wiki where they can add the pictures and summary to make a "movie" scrape book.

Writing Reflective Responses (wiki)
Give students their own page in a wiki where they can write reflective responses throughout a lesson or unit of study. Possible uses:

• Older students use as a response to a literature reading.
• A reflections on what one has learned in any subject area with directed questions from a teacher.

Discussions Online (wiki)
Use the discussion in a wiki to post an opinion based on a reading. While this isn't a threaded discussion, each can create multiple posts in response to a prompt from a teacher, or create a new discussion on a page starting with their own statement.

Write a Storybook (MixBooks)
Discuss possible story themes. graphic organizer.
Write an outline for the story (storyboard?)
Take digital pictures to tell the story.
Upload the pictures to MixBooks.
Write captions to tell the story.